In peeling or destemming produce such as tomatoes, cherries, olives and the like, it is common practice to pass the produce across beds of power rotated rolls as disclosed in the above-identified patents. In such apparatus the rolls, in being rotated in opposite directions, catch the stem or peel and pull it from the produce body. Since the article body is large in comparison to the space between the rolls the articles tend to ride across the top or upper surfaces of the rolls.
By oscillating the roll beds back and forth in the direction of travel of the articles, the articles preferably are caused to roll so as to bring all sides thereof into contact with the turning rolls. By so doing it is hoped that the peel or stems are removed from the produce.
However experience has shown that the oscillatory motion of the beds tends to clump or group the articles together to limit the rolling action of the product. In addition, articles which have gone through a caustic solution for loosening the peel tend to become oblong or irregularly shaped and thereby roll less as they move across the top surfaces of the rolls. Because of these effects and the fact that some product is naturally oblong in configuration with the stems extending along the longitudinal axis so as not to readily come into contact with the rolls, such apparatus sometimes is less than totally successful in removing the peel and stems from all of the articles. As a result it is the object of this invention to limit the amount of bunching or grouping of the articles and also to cause a greater rolling action so as to increase the possibilities of all surfaces coming into contact with the rolls for better peeling or stemming operation.